Live Webinars

“I purchased the Campus Visit and Interview Intervention webinars and both certainly prepared me to provide concise, sophisticated answers. My campus visit went so well and it was the preparation, as you well know, that set me up for success.”

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Currently Scheduled Webinars

All participants get access to a recording — even if you don’t attend the live event! Just be sure and complete the full registration process on Go To Webinar, and you’ll automatically get the recording access the day after the event.

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Past Webinars

How To Write a Winning Grant (past)

In this 90-minute Webinar I walk you through Dr. Karen’s Foolproof Grant Template–a template for grant-writing based on what I call the “Hero-Narrative of Grant-writing” [Here is a critical topic. Here is an unfortunate gap in the literature about it. But never fear – I am here to save the day! Here’s how, specifically.] Astoundingly successful when used correctly. Which is harder than it looks, because applicants have trouble grasping what their critical topic is, and what a compelling rationale would be for studying it, in the minds of OTHER PEOPLE.

Thus I explain how to put yourself into the shoes of those other people — the people on the grant review committees, and how to avoid the most common misunderstandings and mistakes of applicants that revolve around self-absorption, obsession with minutiae, and self-juvenilization (grant applications are not your comprehensive exams).

As always, the webinar will include abundant examples of effective writing, and will include plenty of Q and A time for targeted advice for your situation.

You will receive a downloadable recording of the webinar.

We’ll cover:

The big picture of grant-writing
How and why to construct a hero narrative of your research
The three things your proposal must do
The four biggest mistakes of grant-writers
How to use Dr. Karen’s Foolproof Grant Template
How to tailor a proposal

Q and A

Thursday 1/31 at 6 PM EST/23:00 GMT

Cost: $50

After completing payment by clicking below, you will be redirected to the dedicated Go-To-Meeting Webinar Registration page, where you will fill out a registration form and be given instructions and an access code to sign in on your chosen day.

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Interview Intervention Webinar (past)

In this 90-minute webinar Karen Kelsky shows you how to interview effectively for an academic job. She covers the major questions asked most often, and their unspoken agendas. She discusses the most common errors made by candidates, and how to organize and deliver concise, content-rich, non-desperate responses.

She will provide templates for responses to basic questions about your dissertation/current research, publishing, teaching, and fit, and abundant examples of both bad and good answers from actual client interviews.

In addition, we confront illegal/inappropriate questions, micro-aggressions, and the all important issue of overcoming Imposter Syndrome, and communicating confidence through verbal and non-verbal modes. And she spares a few words for how to dress, the best shoes for cold weather, and ideas for briefcases!

The material applies to skype, phone, and conference interviews, and the campus visit (although note that we have a whole separate webinar and recording available that is devoted to the campus visit!)

This webinar covers the same content, and addresses the same questions, as the live Skype Interview Intervention service ($250); it is an immediately available and cost-effective way to learn what to expect and how to prepare for all forms of academic job interview. Some clients do the webinar as preparation for a live Skype Intervention, if there are slots available.

As always there will be plenty of time for Q and A at the end.

You have access to a recording of the event afterward.

Tuesday 11/6 at 6 PM EST

Cost: $50

After completing payment by clicking below, you will be redirected to the dedicated Go-To-Meeting Webinar Registration page, where you will fill out a registration form and be given instructions and an access code to sign in on your chosen day.

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Hacking the Academic Presentation (past)

Get ready for your academic conferences, job talks, and public speaking with this webinar on presentation best-practices. As academics we must master public speaking skills to challenge the GOP assault on higher ed – the stakes have never been higher for us to know how to present our work to the public effectively!

In this 90-minute webinar I break down the best practices of presenting your work to academic and public audiences in conference talks, job talks, public speaking, and so on.

We’ll address:

the role of public speaking in the academic career

how and when to gain experience

handling the basic logistics

managing nerves

conference presentations–things to consider

effective speaking techniques

using visuals and Powerpoint

body language and non-verbal cues

reading an audience

tracking the clock

handling Q and A

responding to challenges and critiques

managing equipment

We’ll also discuss the most common errors made by inexperienced academic speakers related to talk organization, speaking style, and Q and A challenges.

Participants will have access to a recording of the event.

$50

Thursday, January 24 6 PM EST

After completing payment by clicking below, you will be redirected to the dedicated Go-To-Meeting Webinar Registration page, where you will fill out a registration form and be given instructions and an access code to sign in on your chosen day.

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Surviving Your First Year on the Tenure Track (past)

In this 90-minute webinar I walk you through the biggest challenges of the first year on the tenure track. Topics we cover include

Dealing with new colleagues

Handling department politics

Finding mentors

Establishing a classroom persona

Learning to say no to service

Establishing a conference schedule

Protecting your writing time (and mental health!)

Pitfalls for women and people of color

Most importantly, I walk you through the planning that you need to do, from year one, to situate yourself for your eventual tenure case.

This webinar is based on the advising meetings I used to have as Department Head with my first year assistant professors. They all got tenure. It’s fun, but hard core!

This webinar complements the blog post, Advice For Your First Year on the Tenure Track, but focuses on learning when and how to say no, making choices about time management, laying the groundwork for your tenure case, and staying sane.

Includes abundant time for Q and A with Dr. Karen.

You WILL have access to a recording of the webinar afterward as well, whether or not you can attend the live event – as long as you register for it.

Cost: $50

Thursday 4/11, 6 PM EST

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Managing Your Career Once You Have a Job (past)

You’re on the tenure track! Now what?

This 90-minute webinar explains the basic organization of a successful academic career, and how to avoid the most common pitfalls besetting the new assistant professor. Focuses in particular on the crucial skill of time management, as well as charting your path to tenure, learning how to plan for your tenure case, and strategize potential tenure letter writers. With a clear sense of the obligations and challenges of the tenure track period you can improve your chances of achieving work-life balance and having a career that is satisfying and life-sustaining.

This newly updated webinar is based on the mentoring I did as a Department Head for the new assistant profs in my R1 department; I include SLAC-centric content as well. This webinar can be combined with “Surviving Your First Year on the Tenure Track” or viewed alone. It focuses more on the nitty-gritty of planning year-by-year, understanding the details of how tenure works, and finding sustainable work-life balance over time (and not just in the initial fire-hose of year 1).

We’ll cover:

The all-important skill of time management
Learning to say no
Learning when to say yes
Teaching well but not too much
Dealing with colleagues
Understanding departmental politics
Handling service obligations
Managing your image
Applying for leave
Carving out time for research and writing
Understanding tenure
Charting your tenure course
Cultivating tenure letter writers
Creating and maintaining your national reputation
Aiming for the next job
Work-life balance
Family and children
Challenges for women and faculty of color.

As always there will be time for Q and A at the end.

This webinar is appropriate for all fields. All participants get access to a recording afterward.

Thursday 4/18 at 6 PM EST.

Cost: $50

After completing payment by clicking below, you will be redirected to the dedicated Go-To-Meeting Webinar Registration page, where you will fill out a registration form and be given instructions and an access code to sign in on the day.

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Hacking the Tenure Track Job Market (past)

In this 90-minute webinar I walk you through the conditions of the current American job market, the most common mistakes made by job-seekers, and the ways you can maximize your chances of success while looking for a tenure-track job.

We’ll cover:

The big-picture conditions of the U.S. tenure track job market

How to think like a search committee

The four core qualities of a successful tenure track job candidate

The all-important 5-Year Plan

The ethos of job market documents

The most common mistakes made by job seekers

The three keys to academic interviewing

The non-academic option

We also examine the pervasive intangible pitfalls that can bedevil job documents and interviewing, including narcissism, excessive humility, and hyper-emotionalism. You’ll leave with a broad understanding of the real (as opposed to fantasy) criteria of tenure track hiring, and how to tailor your record and application materials to maximize your chances of success.

Includes time for Q and A with Dr. Karen. All participants get access to a free recording of the event.

Thursday 10/11 2 PM EST

Cost: $50

After completing payment by clicking below, you will be redirected to the dedicated Go-To-Meeting Webinar Registration page, where you will fill out a registration form and be given instructions and an access code to sign in on the day.

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Job Talk Webinar (past)

In this webinar we will delve into the challenges of the all-important job talk.

I will explain the role of the job talk in the campus visit (it’s the single most important element) , and what it is meant to show about you as a candidate (it’s not what you think).

Kellee and I together created this webinar because I edit hundreds of job talks a year at TPII, and she hears them in her live skype Campus Visit Interventions, and the first drafts we see are routinely truly awful. (And when we were faculty members, in truth, most job talks we heard from candidates were pretty bad.) This is not because your research is poor! It’s because nobody has ever explained to you WHAT a job talk is supposed to accomplish and HOW a job talk is supposed to be organized.

We now understand that most candidates have no idea about the proper ethos and organization of the job talk. They don’t get the “point” of the job talk, what it’s meant to achieve, and then how to achieve that through specific substance and organization.

So I will explain the most common pitfalls of the job talk, which are legion, including:

And I provide a proven template for job talk structure that will ensure yours showcases your research, engages the audience, and establishes your scholarly profile AND collegiality.

Finally, I will discuss the treacherous Q and A after the talk–what kinds of questions to expect, how to handle the audience, and most importantly, how to handle challenging, critical, or inappropriate questions.

Includes 30 minutes of Q and A.

All participants get access to the recording of this webinar.

Tuesday 11/20 at 6 PM EST/23:00 GMT.

Cost: $50

After completing payment you will be redirected to the dedicated Go-To-Meeting Webinar Registration page, where you will fill out a registration form and be given instructions and an access code to sign in on your chosen day.

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Campus Visit Webinar (past)

In this 90 minute webinar I walk you through the basic expectations and potential pitfalls of the dreaded Campus Visit (sometimes called a Fly-Out). We will cover all of the core elements, including:

The three key criteria at play in a campus visit

The single biggest pitfall for candidates

The basic organization of a campus visit

The initial arrangements and scheduling

Preparing for the visit

Meetings with faculty, Head, Dean, and graduate students

The formal interview with the Search Committee

The job talk and Q and A

The teaching demo

Handling meals gracefully

Maintaining your stamina

Evaluating campus climate

What to wear, especially in cold weather

As always there will be time for Q and A at the end. You will have access to a recording of the webinar 24 hours after the event.

Campus visits are hard! A little advance knowledge will save a world of hurt!

Wednesday 1/16 at 6 PM EST

Cost: $50

After completing payment by clicking below, you will be redirected to the dedicated Go-To-Meeting Webinar Registration page, where you will fill out a registration form and be given instructions and an access code to sign in on your chosen day.

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Going Real-Ac: Moving On With a Ph.D. (past)

This webinar will show you how to prepare for a job, even if you’re still in graduate school. We begin with the emotional struggle of letting go of the dream of the tenure track, and the social and academic challenges involved in the transition.

Then, we’ll look at the process of re-evaluation away from a single-minded focus on the tenure track. We confront the incorrect belief held by many Ph.D.s (especially in the arts and humanities) that you don’t have any skills for non-academic jobs. In fact, you have loads of skills, you just haven’t learned to identify and mobilize them for jobs outside the academy.

We’ll confront the incorrect belief held by many Ph.D.s (especially in the arts and humanities) that you don’t have any skills for non-academic jobs. In fact, you have loads of skills, you just haven’t learned to identify and mobilize them for jobs outside the academy.

We’ll cover:

Confronting grief, sorrow, anger, and loss

Why the non-academic job search matters

What’s in a name? Post-ac, non-ac, alt-ac, out-ac, and Real-Ac

How do I tell my advisor?

Obstacles to imagining a non-academic career

Identifying your translatable skills

Managing the all-important “keywords”

Tips for the non-academic cover letter and resume

Common pitfalls and challenges for the Ph.D. job seeker in the “real world”

Job-search strategies that work

Resources for the job seeker

This workshop is appropriate for anyone on the Ph.D. track–from early/mid-stage graduate students to ABDs, new Ph.D.s, and postdocs. It’s also good for any advisors who wish to learn more about advising for the non-academic career. Includes time for Q and A.

All participants get access to the recording of this webinar.

Tuesday 5/1 at 6 PM EST/23:00 GMT.

Cost: $50

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How To Negotiate Your Academic Job Offer

The rescinded offer is unfortunately more common than ever, and it is imperative that candidates understand when and how to appropriately negotiate an academic job offer. Negotiating IS still standard and expected for the vast majority of all tenure track offers, but it takes skill to do it correctly, asking for all you can while retaining good relations with the department.

This webinar breaks down the stages of the academic job offer negotiation process, explains the things that can and can’t be negotiated at different types of jobs (including postdocs and full time non-tenure track positions), and different ranks and types of institutions. It provides examples of successful negotiating language as well as common negotiating errors and pitfalls.

We’ll discuss how to evaluate the culture and expectations of the institution and calibrate requests to the institutional context. We will dispassionately examine the phenomenon of the rescinded offer. I’ll give examples from successful and unsuccessful recent negotiations that I’ve worked on through my Negotiating Assistance service.

And we’ll consider special challenges for women and people from communities historically marginalized in the academy. For some background reading, check out my blog post, Negotiating as Therapy.

Includes 30 minutes of Q and A.

Participants also get $100 off the cost of individual Negotiating Assistance (normally $500 [ $600 for advanced/senior positions])

You WILL have access to a free download of the event for one week after the date, whether or not you can attend the live event, as long as you register for it.

$50

Thursday 4/4 at 6 PM EST

After completing payment by clicking below, you will be redirected to the dedicated Go-To-Meeting Webinar Registration page, where you will fill out a registration form and be given instructions and an access code to sign in on your chosen day.

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Women and the Academic Career: What Works, What Doesn’t (past)

In this 90 minute interactive webinar, I walk you through the main challenges for women in the academic career, and offer specific strategies for confronting and overcoming them.

We’ll discuss:

The male-centric model of the academic career track

The tenure track and the biological clock

Issues for WOC

The perils of “nice”

Sexual and gender harassment

Unconscious self-sabotaging habits

Techniques of self-promotion

Assertiveness in language and body language

Pitfalls for women on the job market

Interviewing strategies

Negotiating effectively

Children: the good and the bad

Achieving work-life balance

30 minutes of Q and A at the end.

Thursday 4/26, 6 PM EST/23:00 GMT.

$50

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#MeTooPhd: Sexual Harassment in the Academy (past)

In this one-hour webinar inspired by the Sexual Harassment in the Academy Crowdsource Survey (now at over 2300 entries), I will share what I learned from the experience of conducting the survey, including thoughts on the range and scope of sexual harassment in academic settings (including departments, labs, research centers, campuses, academic conferences, etc.), patterns of predation, options for victims, and recommendations to institutions wishing to combat this scourge in the #MeTooPhD moment. I will discuss the profiles of predators, common patterns of protection/enabling/silencing of victims by colleagues and administrators, and particular vulnerabilities of women of color and queer/trans women in these contexts.

**This webinar does NOT include any specific stories, incidents, or information shared by any of the contributors to the survey. The content is based on larger-scale patterns that emerged in the aggregate, and thoughts about ways to move forward that emerged from these larger-scale patterns.***

I will talk about why academia is so conducive to this form of harassment, and I will focus in particular on suggestions to help vulnerable populations recognize and confront harassment, in order to empower victims and potential victims to protect themselves, find both formal and informal support and make educated decisions about going public.

I’ll discuss some thoughts on the pros and cons of filing formal complaints, the current resources and limitations of Title IX policies, and immediate steps that departments and disciplinary associations can take to lessen the occurrence of harassment on campus and at conferences.

Includes 30 minutes of Q and A

All who register have access to a recording, even if they can’t attend the live event.

This event is free to all, but you do have to register at the link below:

2/22 at 6 PM EST

Free

This 90-minute webinar with TPII post-ac career coach Maggie Gover shows you how to help potential employers understand the skills you bring as a PhD. Learn how to rethink your background and translate your experience in ways that will speak to a non-academic employer.

Real samples of successful resumes will be shared.

Maggie Gover, PhD, is Director, Graduate Student Academic and Professional Development at the UC Riverside Graduate Division

30 minutes of Q and A included. All participants have access to a recording afterward.

$50

Thursday 3/30 1 PM EST

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Productivity and Self-Care In a Time of Turmoil (past)

Special Reduced Rate: $35

This 90-minute webinar – co-led by career coach Karen Kelsky and productivity coach Kellee Weinhold – will focus on the challenges facing academic writers in a time of national and international crisis. We begin with an honest accounting of the threats facing the academy, and the difficulties of maintaining forward progress while managing ongoing turmoil at both political and personal levels. We’ll suggest some basic practices of self-care that can help academics resist panic (and the fire-hose of social media frenzy) and keep your eye on your most important goals (while also acknowledging that those goals may be in flux).

We will focus particularly on four common pitfalls of productivity: 1) unclear expectations; 2) maintaining balance in crisis; 3) negative self-talk; and 4) external comparisons.

We then outline strategies you can use to learn how to respond to these challenges, design a writing plan and monitor progress. The goal is to tell the truth about your struggles, and recognize (without judgment) and shift the negative behaviors that get in the way of your writing.

There will be time for 30 minutes of Q and A at the end.

All those who register are invited to share their concerns and questions in a common Google Doc ahead of time, and we will incorporate as many as we can.

All participants will get access to a recording for a limited time.

We are offering this webinar at a reduced rate to make it more widely accessible.

Thursday, March 16 6 PM EST

Special reduced rate: $35

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Hacking the Grad School Application (past)

In this 90-minute webinar, we will cover “the big picture” of graduate education — the pros and cons of different kinds of graduate programs, and how to gain admission to them.

We will cover:

Different types of graduate programs
How to choose where to apply
How to write an initial query letter to a prospective advisor
The typical graduate school application documents, and how to write them
How to prepare for a graduate school interview
How to choose between multiple acceptances
How to prepare for re-applying in case of rejection

We will go over good and bad reasons for pursuing a graduate education, how to assess objective and subjective features of graduate programs to rank them in order of preference, the important questions to ask *before* applying, how to maximize your chances of acceptance, the different “genres” of application essays, how to structure the dreaded Statement of Purpose (with a template and a sample example), and how to avoid vague and emotional language in application documents. You will also understand the larger context of how admission decisions are made, the role admissions interviews play in those decisions, and how to prepare for them. By the end of the webinar, you will have a clear roadmap to take you through the deliberation of which programs to choose, the application process itself, and the discernment strategies to help you make the best decision for your future.

Includes time for Q&A. All participants will receive a free download of the Webinar.

Cost: $50

Sat June 10, 3 pm EST

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Winter Productivity Kickstart and Strategy Session (past)

Worried about how to be productive this Winter? Have an article (or two, or three!) languishing on your desktop? Know from past experience that the summer siren song of wide open writing time once again ended with you hunkered down in a shame- filled Netflix binge–and now the new semester is upon you?

In this 90-minute session you will learn:

How to identify your real and imagined roadblocks to productivity;

Strategies for overcoming those barriers, using organizational strategies and accountability tools for daily productivity;

Effective boundary setting (just say no!);

How to create a personalized goal achievement plan, breaking down project components and timelines with daily and weekly goals.

Includes time for Q and A with Kellee Weinhold. All participants get access to a recording of the event.

Date: Monday, January 2, 3:00 PM EST

Cost: $50

After completing payment by clicking below, you will be redirected to the dedicated Go-To-Meeting Webinar Registration page, where you will fill out a registration form and be given instructions and an access code to sign in on the day.

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Academic Life Under Trump – A Free Webinar (past)

The election of Donald Trump, and the unfolding catastrophe of his cabinet appointments and revelations of Russian intervention, has shaken many academics to their core. Readers and clients (and all of us here at The Professor Is In) describe living in a state of free-floating, pervasive fear, dread, and anxiety.

This free webinar is a conversation between Karen Kelsky and Kellee Weinhold about what we might expect, and how we might deal, with academic life under Trump. We will respond to queries and concerns raised by our listeners.

Our goal in this is not to deliver concrete career advice (impossible in a time so unsettled and unprecedented) but rather to create a space for connection and community. Isolation and depression are our greatest threats at this juncture, and right now, continuing to gather together and share our ideas for survival and resistance is perhaps the most important step we can take.

Upon registration you will receive access to a Googledoc to upload your questions and concerns, as well as registration information for the free event.

We look forward to visiting with you.

Karen and Kellee

Sunday Dec. 18 1 PM EST

FREE

BUT YOU MUST CLICK “ADD TO CART” BELOW TO REGISTER!

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How To Write an Academic Job Application, Part 1–Cover Letter and CV (past)

In this 90-minute webinar we examine the first two primary documents in an academic job application–the cover letter and cv. I explain the role of each of these in presenting your profile, and the relative importance of each in the deliberations of the search committee. I then give recommendations for the most effective content, organization, and tone of each of these documents, with examples, and show the most common mistakes made by job applicants, the errors of thinking that lie behind these mistakes, and the ways to correct them.

The focus is both on specific techniques of writing and self-presentation, but also on the unspoken principles and biases that govern tenure-track hiring.

There will be 30 minutes of Q and A at the end. All participants get a free downloadable recording.

Wednesday 12/14 at 6 PM EST/24:00 GMT

Cost: $50

After completing payment by clicking below, you will be redirected to the dedicated Go-To-Meeting Webinar Registration page, where you will fill out a registration form and be given instructions and an access code to sign in on your chosen day.

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Hacking the Statement of Purpose for Grad School (Past)

November 13th, 1 pm EST

In this 90-minute webinar, we will cover the “big picture” and the “best practices” of a statement of purpose required for most graduate school applications. Whether one is applying for a Master’s program, a PhD, or another type of graduate program, the underlying principles of how to structure and write an outstanding statement of purpose are the same. We will cover:

The purpose of the statement of purpose

The different “genres” of a statement of purpose

The difference between a statement of purpose and a personal statement

Structure and language rules for a statement of purpose

Proper framing and tailoring

Examples of good and bad statements of purpose

We will go through how to design a statement of purpose, step by step, and discuss how to work with the prompts provided by admissions guidelines. Then we will deconstruct poorly written statements, and analyze sample examples of well-written ones. There will be time at the end for questions and answers for questions you may have that are particularly relevant for your specific statements and circumstances. All participants will receive access to a recording of the Webinar.

Cost: $50

November 13th, 1 pm EST

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Hacking the Tenure Track Job Market (Past)

(formerly What You Need to Know Now About the Academic Job Market)

In this 90-minute webinar I walk you through the conditions of the current American job market, the most common mistakes made by job-seekers, and the ways you can maximize your chances of success while looking for a tenure-track job.

We’ll cover:

The big-picture conditions of the U.S. tenure track job market

How to think like a search committee

The four core qualities of a successful tenure track job candidate

The all-important 5-Year Plan

The ethos of job market documents

The most common mistakes made by job seekers

The three keys to academic interviewing

The non-academic option

We also examine the pervasive intangible pitfalls that can bedevil job documents and interviewing, including narcissism, excessive humility, and hyper-emotionalism. You’ll leave with a broad understanding of the real (as opposed to fantasy) criteria of tenure track hiring, and how to tailor your record and application materials to maximize your chances of success.

Includes time for Q and A with Dr. Karen. All participants get access to a free recording of the event.

New date: Thursday Sept 22, 2016 6 PM EST

Cost: $50

After completing payment by clicking below, you will be redirected to the dedicated Go-To-Meeting Webinar Registration page, where you will fill out a registration form and be given instructions and an access code to sign in on the day.

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How To Write an Academic Job Application, Part II–Teaching Statement and Research Statement {past}

In this 80-minute webinar we examine the other two primary documents in an academic job application–the teaching statement and research statement. I explain the role of each of these in presenting your profile, and the relative importance of each in the deliberations of the search committee. I then give recommendations for the most effective content, organization, and tone of each of these documents, with examples.

The Teaching Statement is perhaps the most difficult of all job documents to write, and I spend particular time on its purpose and execution, and the many common pitfalls common to this document, especially weepiness and hyper-emotionalism. I also introduce organizational tips for the Research Statement with attention to effective sentence and paragraph structure.

There will be 30 minutes of Q and A at the end. All participants get a free downloadable recording.

Thursday 8/13 at 7 PM EST/24:00 GMT

Cost: $50

After completing payment by clicking below, you will be redirected to the dedicated Go-To-Meeting Webinar Registration page, where you will fill out a registration form and be given instructions and an access code to sign in on your chosen day.

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For Grad Students Only–Turn Your Ph.D. Into a Job {past}

This webinar is for current graduate students, on strategizing for the academic and non-academic job markets while in graduate school. It is open to students at any stage in their program, including those just starting this fall. (I love to talk to newbies!)

We will cover:

Understanding the financial risks of a Ph.D.

Evaluating the status and job placement rate of your graduate program

Evaluating the effectiveness of your advisor for job placement

Changing advisors when necessary

Assembling a committee

Reading trends in your field with an eye to the job market

Setting a 5-year timeline to completion

Understanding the role of grants

TA-ing vs. teaching

Participating in departmental life

Avoiding excess service

Attending national conferences

Strategizing your recommenders

Building your CV

We will also discuss strategies to keep your options open for non-academic jobs, including

Finding mentors

Networking

Informational interviews

Identifying and developing your skills

Throughout we’ll address ways that you can “stop acting like a grad student” and take charge of your program and your career.

As always, time for Q and A at the end.

Let no grad student proceed uninformed!

Thursday 5/7 6 PM EST

Cost: $30

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How To Apply for a Postdoc in the Humanities or Social Sciences {Past}

Postdocs are increasingly common in the humanities and social sciences, but many Ph.D.s are confused about how to apply for them. Is it like applying for a job? When should I apply and how long am I eligible? If I only have to teach one course, how should I discuss my teaching? What am I supposed to produce while I’m in the postdoc, and how fast?

Why social science and humanities postdoctoral programs exist
When to apply
Reading postdoc agendas and missions
Understanding the ethos of a postdoctoral scholar on campus
Composing an effective postdoc cover letter
The elements of a postdoc research proposal
Addressing teaching in a postdoc context
Relating your work to the campus
Understanding the timeline of productivity

Includes 30 minutes of Q and A at the end. You will get a downloadable recording of the event.

(Please note that this webinar is not suitable for scientists seeking postdoctoral positions in labs.)

Cost: $50

Thursday 9/11 6 PM EST

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Targeting Your Skills for a #Postac Career (led by Margy Horton) {past}

In order to grow your post-ac network, craft a solid business plan, or write a credible resume, you need to know your skills–and you need a language in which to articulate those skills.

In this webinar, I (Margy Horton) help you to identify your strongest skills, discover new ways of framing them, construct them into a compelling story, and decide which skills to sharpen in order to enhance your marketability. My experiences in both launching my business, ScholarShape, and organizing a group of Academic Entrepreneurs, have taught me that academics can indeed mine, re-frame, and “sell” previously unknown skills. This presentation is filled with real-life examples from my experiences at the intersections of academia and entrepreneurship.

In the Q and A, you can ask me to speak directly to your situation, and after the webinar, you’ll receive a downloadable recording. When you register for this webinar, you’ll receive a PDF of my list of over 100 skills that are common among academics–a more comprehensive list than any you’ll find elsewhere.

What we’ll cover:

1. How skills are different from knowledge, expertise, and credentials

2. How to identify your marketable skills (Hint: you may have over 100)

3. Four techniques for re-framing and re-labeling your existing skills

4. Why you need to frame your skills as a story (And five templates for writing your skill-story)

5. The “alchemical skills” that you can acquire to elevate your other skills

6. A dozen free or inexpensive ways to develop new marketable skills

7. Q and A

All participants will receive a free downloadable recording of the event.

Wednesday May 28, 6 PM EST/3 PM Pacific.

Cost: $50

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How To Publish Your Academic Book {past}

In most fields of the humanities and social sciences, a sole-authored monograph is the primary criterion for tenure. Getting your book done in time for tenure review is the leading source of stress for new assistant professors. You can do it, but it takes advance planning and organization. In this 90 minute webinar I walk you through the basic timeline for getting it done in time. We will cover the following:

As always there will be time for Q and A at the end. You’ll receive a downloadable recording of the webinar.

Avoid unnecessary anguish and stress by understanding the process and planning ahead.

Wednesday 4/16 at 2 PM Pacific/5 PM EST/22:00 GMT.

Cost: $50

After completing payment by clicking below, you will be redirected to the dedicated Go-To-Meeting Webinar Registration page, where you will fill out a registration form and be given instructions and an access code to sign in on your chosen day.

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Starting a Small Business: The Other #Postac Option {Past}

“If you can only conceive of yourself as a professor, then you have condemned your labor to the mercy and whims of others” (Nate Kreuter, IHE). In this 90 minute interactive webinar for people with Ph.D.s (particularly in the humanities and social sciences), I’ll walk you through the basics of starting your own small business. We’ll talk about ways to re-cast yourself from academic to business owner, psychological obstacles to the transition, and then the nuts and bolts of setting up a business–from a website to invoicing to advertising. Particular focus on using a website/FB page/Twitter for marketing.

II. The Nuts and Bolts
Steps to starting a small business
Concept –> Brand –> Name
Creating a simple website/blog
Establishing credibility
Setting rates and policies
Simple ecommerce resources
Show me the $$: Invoicing

IV. Growing The Business
Overcoming the fear of self-promotion
Money: not the enemy
Being your own boss

As always, time for Q and A at the end. You’ll get a recording of the webinar the next day.

Scheduled for Friday Jan 31 3 PM Pacific/6 PM EST/23:00 GMT.

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Interviewing for Your Postacademic Career (led by Allessandria Polizzi)

In this 90-minute webinar, I (Allessandria Polizzi) will walk you through the business interviewing process from beginning to end based on my 15+ years of experience in Human Resources function, and as a corporate hiring manager. I explain the point and purpose of each stage, as well as how to prepare, pitfalls to avoid and other tips and tricks. If you are beginning the journey to a postacademic job search (or are just in the beginning stages of exploration), this webinar will show you what to expect.

We will cover:

• How to make a great first impression
• The in-person interview (2nd, 3rd and beyond): what to wear, how to prepare and what to do while there
• What’s an assessment and how do I ace it?
• What to do after the interview is over
• Don’t hit the panic button: Tips of the trade to help you land the job you want

Includes Q and A with Allessandria.

Interviewing is a critical element in your postacademic career process. Through interviewing, you share your qualifications for a potential position and also learn about the culture of your future employer. Knowing what to expect and how to prepare allows you to maximize both opportunities.

All participants get a free recording of the event.

Thursday June 12 6 PM EST/3 PM Pacific

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Webinar Info

Once you pay you are directed to a dedicated access page on Go To Webinar to register for the event. You receive an access code, which you enter on the day of the event to log onto the webinar on your computer or telephone. I present the webinar live. You can see and hear me, and to see my powerpoint slides. You can ask questions and comments on the chat/question functions.

Some readers wonder if the webinars are redundant with the blog posts. I work hard to make sure that isn’t the case, and offer fresh new content that goes beyond the posts. I’ve learned that many participants find it is helpful to have the spoken and interactive presentation on the Webinar reinforce the written information on the blog. One key point of the Webinars, aside from the Q and A, is the abundant use of examples of BAD job market writing or interviewing, with explanations of what exactly is wrong, and how to fix it.

Here are some reactions to previous webinars, and a testimonial from a Campus Visit Webinar client who used it to land a tenure track job:

“The webinar, which took a little less than two hours, was more useful to me than the entire semester of the ‘Preparing Future Faculty’ course I took through my university’s graduate school.”

“I found it very helpful. Why? Because I needed clarity re: the importance of ‘peer reviewed’ journal articles (of which I have none). You helped me see that while the dissertation is made out to be a ‘BIG ISSUE’ in the life of a Ph.D. student, what should now be one’s major concern, as a result of this lame market, is developing an active publishing record so that one can present themselves as a ‘colleague’ in the job market rather than a ‘grad student.’ Many advisors don’t realize this market change.”

“I appreciated the way that Karen focused not only on what we should do, but also on what we should avoid doing. Many of the job books I have neglect this important contrast.”

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me, Karen, at gettenure@gmail.com.

Comments

Live Webinars — 42 Comments

I would love to attend a webinar, but am finding the times they are offered impossible to attend. (I’m on the west coast, which makes any reasonable east coast time wonky.) Is there any plan for offering these as itunes-type pay-to-watch/download videos, where we can pay for it and then watch at our convenience?

I haven’t forgotten the notion—I’m just holding off on moving ahead with it, because I really like that people come to the live event, and fear that they will not do so if they know that they can download it like a podcast later. Thoughts on this?

I think the promise of Q&A with you after a live event distinguishes its value far beyond a podcast. Further, I bet folks who participate in a live event would also be interested in buying that particular event’s podcast.

Thank you so much public online material, btw….what a wonderful resource!

I too would like tips for the first round phone interview. I realize I am asking to late (i had one on Wednesday and another in 5 hours). Wednesday’s seemed a scoping interview: are you still interested and what questions do you have about the job? What are the main objectives of the phone interview?

This fall i’ve cut the cost of all webinars in half, from $100 to $50, so that they are more affordable to all. Consequently, I’ve stopped the webzone discount for now–which was not that deep a discount anyway!

Will the “How To Write an Academic Job Application, Part II” be available for download any time soon? I have a job app due in two weeks, and could use the extra advice for my teaching statement. Thank you!

Thank you for the informative webinar “The Campus Visit.” Purchasing this webinar is an excellent investment. I think that now I almost ready for my first campus visit.

I applied for a tenure-track assistant professorship over the summer and got an invitation for a campus visit. Up to this time, I have not applied to other places. How important is it to make the impression during the campus visit to have applied to other places as well?

At the end of my job talk, I plan to give an overview of three projects that I proposed in my research statement. I know that it is important to end the job talk strongly. What kind of a slide would you use as your last slide?

Hello:
The question I have, related to my specific situation, is–Is it possible to get on the tenure track at 50? I did not go straight through the Ph.D.–though I have one, did not get good advice along the way, and taught at art/design schools in NYC who, even in 1990 were not hiring full time people, never mind on tenure track. So, I have 20+ years of higher education teaching experience, was bounced out of a high end Visiting Associate Professor job in 2010 because it was not a good fit, and have been in the long-term unemployed category since then. I have applied for a range of jobs, academic, academic administrative and others and have not gotten one interview. I am fortunate to have moved in with my very generous partner last year, as my unemployment ran out a year and 5 months ago. What do I do now–overqualified at 50?!

Just out of curiosity, have you considered — or might you consider — offering a webinar for people considering leaving academe? (In particular, for people who already have tenure, but who — ahem — are concerned about what looks like an imminent collapse of the higher ed sector?)

Given that I cannot find a more appropriate site to leave this review, I am dropping by here now to say that I was very dissatisfied with how the “Social Media Marketing as a Career for Humanities Ph.D.s: A How-To” webinar with Dr. Jessica Langer was handled, and I and do not recommend that others purchase that webinar if it is ever offered in the future.
I had an emergency come up and was not able to attend the webinar live, so I waited for the recording. When I received the recording, I saw that only the top left corner of the slides had been recorded. I emailed both Jessica and Adeline Kohl asking for a different recording that actually show the slide content, and after a few weeks went by one of them finally emailed me back and said they would send me a new one. A few months went by so I asked again for the recording, and I have continued to be ignored to this day. It has been 6 months since I received the original webinar recording.
I understand that mistakes happen during live recordings, but it is simply rude and unprofessional to not honor promises and to blatantly avoid communicating with people, especially when there was already a zero-refund policy for the webinar.